Beloved Summer: Day 3 (Part 2) - A new day

Talking about numbers, the official notice is: "From number 1 to 1040 will be in the main area."

At daily 7 a.m. we assembled neatly in numerical order in the auditorium to hear meaningful teachings which can solve all the problems in normal life. Every day had a different lesson, touching every thought in our hearts. There are hilariousy humorous lectures about issues being most interested in how to look, how to think from young people who are ready for being launched in life.

 

 There are also conversations full of lively specific debate and questions in extreme exclusive. People keep reminding each other to bring tissues in the lecture hall; then indeed, the tissue is thoroughly effective in the lecture on the topic ‘Gratitude to parents’. Deeply understanding the preaching content , our mind becomes calm as the Atumn lake water, gently like Udumbara  flowers (flowers of fig tree).

Here we must comply with activity routines, absolutely eating and sleeping in time. So from the beginning, any food from outside is not permitted except boxes of milk. It is automatically assumed that the most ordinary foods becomes the most special. Anyone who is just lucky with left candies in bags through undetected gate is very great fact. We hid in a corner and then delivered small pieces and candies suddenly became strangely delicious. It is more amazing that few of us who served frequently to the region to assist cooking should have broad relations, especially in the kitchen.

 

Immediately we secretly send people to the kitchen and that was only after five minutes with just one big mug of iced tea. Drinking water was obviously not in deficience, but the ice was a problem. Another time we asked for a few small biscuits. Each person accountingly shared only a quarter of the cake, but every time someone from the kitchen came back heading high and boldly went along aisle of the room in the way of a warrior carrying booty foods after the most glorious battle. We understand the rules in detail, and the kitchen, too; so "success" is simply like that. But for us, it is a marvelous treasure.

After hours of listening to music programs on the loudspeakers, we again expect the magic sound echoeing in quiet atmosphere.

 

BOONG...BOONG...

Listen deeply, listen deeply

Magical bell brought the most attention

Vowing these will sound to Dharma world to  distant and dark places, which are heard

Those who lost their way quickly stop

After waking up the dim dream, they will find the path

Listening to the bell sound will disappear suffering

Smiling regains the calm thought and peaceful body

Breath following the bell return to mindfulness

We sat in cross-legged, eyes closed manner, breathing quietly, listening to each bell sounding in the mind so that my heart was filled with bliss.

More than 9 o’clock, when we daily were having passion for TV films or fascinating games on the computer, it was the time to sleep. We lay side by side on each long row. In the middle is the walkway for supervisors controling everything. The supervisors  here are similar to the superintendents at school, who always follow to make sure everything is stable, but it is students who always play jokes to the supervisor. The lights were turned off, but we open our eyes, whispering all sorts. Suddenly, "meow’s" had no sooner sounded then a voice  of "woof woof’s"  echoed continuously

The whole room started humming and giggling; so is “the falling into the supervisors’s trap” was booted. Though they did not know who had started before, each time the supervisors ran to the corner to remind, another corner resounded various voices. They were the dounds of cats, dogs, pigs, cows, and sometimes, frogs, mice, or more, which is like we were in in the middle of a big farm or in the botanical garden. Hundreds of noisy mouths in the dark defeated the supervisors. The joking gradually lessened themselves and silent sleep appeared until next morning. After all, we still are the big kids who always refuses to grow up.

Everything was calm  until Wednesday ...

 Translated into English by Huynh Thi Tuyet Ngoc.